New Bears backup QB new to role

Campbell has put up decent numbers as starter but fell victim to playing in so many different systems

March 17, 2012|Dan Pompei | On the NFL

Quarterback Jason Campbell leaves the field after breaking his collarbone during the Raiders-Browns game Oct. 16. He missed the rest of the season. (Nhat V. Meyer/San Jose Mercury News photo)

If Jason Campbell had joined the Bears in 2005 instead of 2012, his world might have spun much differently.

And it nearly happened.

The Bears were very intrigued with Campbell when he was coming off an undefeated season at Auburn in 2004. Coach Lovie Smith attended Campbell's pro day in the spring of 2005, then returned with then-offensive coordinator Ron Turner to have Campbell go through a private workout.

Smith had dinner with Campbell during the trip, and the two hit it off.

"Really liked him," Smith said last week. "I like the guy, the person, just him being in the locker room, his poise."

The Redskins ended up choosing Campbell with the 25th pick of the first round, one pick after Aaron Rodgers went to the Packers.

If Campbell had lasted until the seventh pick of the second round, a good chance exists that in a weak draft the Bears would have chosen him, according to those with knowledge of the situation.

With Campbell off the board, the Bears chose receiver Mark Bradley, and in the fourth round, quarterback Kyle Orton.

It would not be the last time the fates of Campbell and Orton would be intertwined.

In 2009 the Broncos were looking to trade Jay Cutler. The two teams most interested were the Bears and Redskins. The teams made similar offers to the Broncos with the Bears including Orton in the deal and the Redskins including Campbell.

Last week, Orton and Campbell were both available again. This time, the Bears chose Campbell, targeting him at the onset of free agency and not pursuing Orton, who signed with the Cowboys.

Why did the Bears choose Campbell?

General manager Phil Emery said he likes that Campbell has 70 starts in six seasons on his resume and that he has a career passer rating of 82.8 with 74 touchdowns and a 60.8 completion percentage. He also likes Campbell's bazooka arm.

Emery likes the package so much that he was willing to pay Campbell $3.5 million this year, for the moment at least making him and Orton football's highest paid backups.

But there are reasons Campbell has switched teams twice in two years. With the Redskins, he was 20-32 as a starter before being traded to the Raiders for a fourth-round pick. With the Raiders, Campbell went 11-7 but was benched in 2010 and injured in 2011.

So why didn't Campbell end up like Rodgers? There are many reasons. A big one is Campbell this year will have a new offensive coordinator for the sixth time and a new head coach for the fifth time. Rodgers has been in the same system, with the same head coach, since his second year.

"In Washington there were a lot of different coaches, philosophies," said former Redskins vice president Vinny Cerrato, who drafted Campbell. "I don't know if he felt like everybody believed in him."

The Redskins often were not able to minimize Campbell's weaknesses and highlight his strengths.

"He has a big arm, a very good arm," said Cerrato, who now is a radio sports talk host in Baltimore. "He's athletic. He can run. He can make first downs with his legs. He can make all the throws.

"The negatives are he holds the ball too long at times. He fumbled a lot from the pocket. And he has just average anticipation. He gets in trouble some from holding the ball."

Campbell's anticipation might have been enhanced if he had been able to stay in one system. He really is an example of how not to develop a quarterback.

"I have a lot of history, so when I'm done I can probably write a book, or I can be the genius of offensive coordinators, but you just take it one step," said Campbell, who also had four different coordinators in four years of college. "I've had a lot of coaches and a lot of different systems and I'd be the first to tell you it's tough … going back and forth with juggling offenses and having to go out on Sundays and perform at a high level.

"I know a lot of guys have an opportunity to be in one system, and I think they should really feel grateful about it because it's tough always having to relearn. But offense is offense, and football is football."

If there is a silver lining to all the changes Campbell has endured, it is that he is versed in a number of systems. There is hardly anything he has not seen, and he's used to having to start over again.

He believes it actually has made him a better quarterback.

For all he has seen and done, being a veteran backup will be a new experience for Campbell.

"In life, we have to make changes sometimes and accept different roles and move forward with a positive attitude," said Campbell, 30.

What should help Campbell is his demeanor. The son of a coach, he always has had good perspective and understanding of his place in the football universe.

"He's a great guy, an A-plus person and an A-plus worker," Cerrato said. "Nobody will outwork him in the offseason, studying tape, in the weight room."

Lovie Smith knew that a long time ago. Now he wants to benefit from it.